Innocence Lost
by SeanBussing
Summary: A young demigod finds out that he shouldn't have ever been born, and must prove his worth to the Olympians on a quest with his five friends to show that even a mistake can turn out to become legend.
1. Chapter 1: Welcome to Camp

I remember waking up at the beach. I didn't remember my name, how old I was, or where I came from. The moonlight, a light red, was burning into my skin like a wild fire and it felt like I was frozen to the ground. The roar of the waves crashing down on some beached rocks near where I lay helped me focus enough to push myself up off of the ground. I heard a thunderous stampede closing in behind me. When I turned to look at what was coming, I saw hundreds of kids, ages ranging from middle school to early adults. There were things, people, coming out of trees. There were kids with goat legs, and, is that guy half horse? I tried to speak, but no noise was able to come out. I fell back down on my knees, feeling so exhausted and drained, that I just closed my eyes and passed out. The last thing I remember hearing and seeing was the man, who was half horse, telling some campers to take me to the medical tent immediately. "Things around here are going to get very…interesting, I presume." He said while looking up at the moon. With that, almost immediately, I drifted off.

**Chapter One**

I woke up in the hospital bed a week later, wearing my black t-shirt and dark gray jeans. The black leather jacket I had at the beach was placed on a chair along with the boots I was wearing. They looked like hell, to be completely honest. I looked around to see if there was anybody else around, but I couldn't find a soul from where I was sitting in my bed. I reached over into my jacket pocket, looking for some sort of wallet or anything that might hold some piece of identification so I could figure out just who the hell I am, but to no avail. I lied back down in the bed and sighed "Who am I?" I thought aloud to the empty room. "Nobody knows." I shot up, looking around for whoever said that. "Hello? Is somebody here?" I asked. "No, the damn walls just started talking." The voice said again. A hand reached out a few beds down the row from mine and pulled back a curtain.

A boy that looked to be about eighteen was staring at me with weary eyes, looking like he hadn't slept in a month. He was tan with dirty blonde hair, with a perfect white smile. To be honest, the man looked like nothing short of a model in some magazine ad. "Who are you?" I asked the kid. "My name's Logan, Logan Reed. I'm the son of Apollo." I stared at him in confusion. "Apollo? The sun god? Are you stupid or something?" (Looking back on it now, it may seem stupid on MY part to ask such a question, but if some kid started talking about a blazing ball of fire being his dad, you would've had the same reaction.) "No, I'm not stupid. Where do you think you are?" Logan asked. "I have no idea, but from talking with you, I'd say some sort of mental institution." "Oh, that's rich. No, you're not in a mental institution. You're at Camp Half-Blood, home to the demigods." "Demigods?" I asked questionably. "What is a demigod?" The boy looked at me, then down to the foot of his bed, then back at me. "A demigod is someone that is born by a god or goddess, and of a human. A normal person has two mortal parents, but a demigod has one parent that's a human, and one parent that's an immortal."

I stared at him for a long while, silence filling the room while we sat. "But gods are just a myth. Hell, I don't even believe in the big man upstairs." Thunder roared over the sky. "Be careful about what you say is a 'myth', the gods don't like it when people like us think of them as just some fantasy story." Logan said. I stared at him awhile longer. "So, if what you're saying is true, that the gods of Olympus exist, which I highly doubt they do," thunder roared in the sky once again, and Logan nervously glanced up. "Then who is my parent? Zeus, lord of the sky? Poseidon?" I asked inquisitively. "That's highly doubtful that any of the big three, Zeus, Poseidon, or Hades, is your parent. You're probably born to Hermes or a god that isn't as well known, like Nemesis or someone."

I lied down on my pillow with my arms behind my head. "How do I find out who my parent is then? Do the gods come down and wrap their arms around us saying "Hey son, glad you made it!" or something?" Logan chuckled when I said this. "No man, unless it's a very special reason, our parents don't ever come around here. You'll know when you're claimed by your parent when a symbol appears above your head. It used to be common that the gods and goddesses would actually forget to claim us, but that was until this kid named Percy Jackson saved the world and all that hero junk. Don't get me wrong, great guy, you just get tired of hearing his stories over and over again, you know?" I looked back at him. As crazy and ridiculous as all of this sounds, I felt like it also somehow made sense. "Okay, if you can answer me one thing, I'll believe anything you say about this place, because right now I have no other evidence to argue with you. When I was on the beach, I saw some guy who was half horse. Who was that? Or am I going nuts?" Logan laughed at this as well. "That is our camp director, and his name is Chiron. He's a centaur, and he's thousands of years old."

There was a sound of hooves at the door at the end of the room, and Logan and I turned to see who it was that came in. "Well, I see you're already making friends. My name is Chiron." I stared open-mouthed at what I saw. "I am definitely going crazy." I told myself. "It isn't polite to stare you know?" Chiron said with a grin. "Sorry," I said, "I've just never…" "Seen a horseman before?" Chiron said. "No, not many people have I guess. How are you feeling?" I hadn't really thought about how I felt before now, but suddenly the weight of the world felt like it was crashing down on top of me. "A little bit overwhelmed, to be honest." Logan looked at me sympathetically. "I know what you mean man. When I was told about all this, I felt the same way. Hell, we all did." "What do you mean by 'we'?" I asked. "The kids here at camp. Everybody is a demigod here, or a naiad, or satyr." I stared at the wall for a while, taking in all of the information that I just learned. "If I'm not alone," I thought to myself, "maybe this isn't that bad."

Chiron stood quietly, listening to Logan and I talk for a moment. "How would you like to meet your fellow campers son?" he said after a while. "Uh, yeah, yeah sure. It would be nice to get out of this bed." I got up and grabbed my jacket and boots, slipped them on, and walked to a mirror near the door.

I was tall, about 6'1, and had medium-length auburn hair that came over my ears. I looked like I was about eighteen or nineteen years old. I had a scar running down my left eye, and my eyes were dazzling silver. I reached out to touch it, not remembering the last time I had ever actually seen myself. Out of the corner of the mirror I saw Logan rolling out of bed. "I'll come as well. It would probably be nice if you had a friend showing you the ropes your first day of camp." I looked back at him and smiled. "Thanks man, it'd be better than going at it alone." We smiled at each other. "So what's your name anyways?" Logan asked. "I'm not sure, I don't even remember how old I am, or where I'm from." "Well, you're going to need a name. You look like an Alex to me. Yeah, we're just going to call you Alex Hunter until your memory comes back." Logan said. "Sounds about as good as anything I could've come up with." I told him. With that, we walked to Chiron, who was waiting for us. "Before you get too settled in," Chiron said, "You, Logan, and a few other campers are going to go to Olympus to see who your parent is. I know we usually wait to see who claims you but with the way things have gone around here for a while; I think it is best if we go straight to the gods themselves." "How are we going to get to Greece? That's where Olympus is right? On top of a mountain?" "We can explain everything later." Chiron said. "For now, let's just get you introduced to some people around camp."

Logan, Chiron, and I walked out of the hospital tent and what I saw was breathtakingly beautiful. Hills rolled around the area with hundreds of kids running around and having fun. Some were fighting with swords, others were tending to a garden, and some others were just relaxing on blankets talking with friends. There were basketball hoops and kids shooting bow and arrows at targets. Beyond that, there was a giant forest, with a beautiful view of the ocean on the horizon. To my left were cabins dotted around a central area with a courtyard with lunch tables, and to my right was a giant oak tree guarded by what looked like a dragon. I looked behind me and saw a giant house, three stories tall. "What is this place?" I thought aloud. "This, this is home. This is where we can be safe from monsters and be ourselves without mortals wandering out and about." Logan said. "This is Camp Half-Blood."


	2. Chapter 2: Making New Friends

**Chapter Two**

We walked down the hill to where some campers were talking and eating a picnic. The kids all looked about mine and Logan's age, except for one. One kid was extremely tan, with spikey black hair and muscles that looked like he worked as a body double for the hulk. He was about 6'5 and seemed like he could throw you half way to the moon. He wore a white jacket and khaki cargo pants. Another camper was a beautiful girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was skinny and tan, and about 5'7 if I had to take a guess. She had on a pink t-shirt and running shorts with her hair tied back in a ponytail. The girl beside her had jet black hair and purplish eyes and was about 4'7. She looked a lot younger than any of us, maybe 7 or 8 years old? She wore a blue shirt with a cat on it, and was cute in a little kid sort of way. The other guy was built like an armored car, with huge muscles and scars running along his face and arms. He was in a red tank top and blue jeans, and was about 6'4.

"What are you trouble makers up to?" Chiron said with a smile to the group. "We don't always get in trouble Chiron!" the boy with the red tank top said. "We are just having picnic horseman, do you want something to eat?" the younger girl said with a smile. "No dear, but thank you for asking. Actually, I was just showing our new camper here around with Logan." The campers all looked at Logan and me welcomingly. "Don't listen to whatever he says about us, we don't always beat him up." The boy with the spikey hair said with a laugh. "Oh you'd like to think so Brandon." Logan said, and the two boys started wrestling around on the ground in a friendly way. "Children, I'd like you to meet Alex Hunter. Alex, you already met Logan Reed, son of Apollo. The boy he is wrestling around on the ground with," he kicked the boys lightly with his hoof, "Is Brandon Sampson. He's the son of Hephaestus, god of the forge and fire." Brandon got up and shook my hand. "Nice to meet you man, you want to see something awesome? Stand back a bit." I took a few steps back, as did the other campers. Brandon looked at me with a grin. "It's about to get hot in here!" With that, his entire body spontaneously combusted into flames. The flames went away after a few seconds. I stared at him in awe. "That was awesome man!" I said. It really was too. It's not every day you meet the human torch. "Brandon is a bit of a show boat." The beautiful girl with blonde hair said with a smile. "I'm Sierra Marshall, daughter of Athena, goddess of strategy and wisdom." She smiled at me, and for a moment, I had my breath taken away. "Sierra is the younger half-sister of one of our most famous campers, Annabeth Chase. You'll probably meet her when we go to Olympus tonight." Chiron said. "We're going to Olympus?" Brandon asked. "Yes, there are some questions I have for the gods that need to be answered immediately."

The younger girl in the group stood up and smiled proudly, with her hands on her hips. "My name is Katie Tillman, sister of Sierra, daughter of Nike, goddess of victory. Just a warning, you can't beat me in any game we play." With the confidence this girl showed, it was hard not to believe her. "On top of that, I have two guard dogs, named Brandon Sampson and Christian Kincaid!" "We aren't actually blood related, but Katie is like a little sister to me." Sierra said. "She used to get picked on, but Christian and I put an end to that right quick." Brandon said with a smile as he picked Katie up on his shoulders. The other boy with the red shirt on shook my hand with a smile. "The names Christian Kincaid, like Katie said. Son of Ares, god of war, and cabin leader. I'll most likely be the one teaching you how to use a sword." "Nice to meet you dude." I shook his hand with a smile. This guy, I could tell despite his friendly demeanor, is someone you don't want as an enemy.

"So who is your parent?" Katie asked inquisitively. "That's one thing we are going to find out when we go to Olympus tonight." Chiron said. "What time are we leaving?" asked Sierra. "Probably right after dinner. Which reminds me, Alex, tonight you will be sitting at the table with me and the other cabin leaders tonight, since we don't have anywhere to put you." "You know," Brandon spoke up, "We were just about to play a game of basketball, if you want to join in. We can use an extra player for three on three. We can always show you around later, if that's okay with Chiron." Chiron looked at me. "It's completely fine with me if you would want to do that." I looked at the group, and thought this would be an easy way to fit in and make some friends. Plus, I could spend time with that girl Sierra, which would be a plus. "Count me in." I said. "Alright!" Logan said with excitement. "I'll be captain with Brandon." Logan said

Christian, Katie, Sierra, and I lined up on the basketball court. "Who picks first?" Brandon asked. "I will, I choose Alex." Logan said. I walked over to him and high-fived him. "Let's rock." He said. "I choose Christian." Christian walked over to Brandon and they shoulder checked each other. "Sorry new kid, but I'm gonna crush you." Christian said with a laugh. "Sierra." Sierra skipped over. "I'm not very good, I'll pass you guys the ball a lot, deal?" "Deal." I said with a smile. "Get over here Baby Katie!" Brandon and Christian said. The little girl ran over to the two giants and leaped in their arms. "We never lose Alex, just so you know!"

We gave Brandon's team the ball first, and Christian dribbled the ball over to Logan. Logan had his hands up, but Christian tossed the ball over to Brandon, and he pump faked me, dribbled the ball up, and leapt right over Sierra and Katie and slammed it down hard in the rim. "That's how you play basketball in Indiana kids!" he said with a shout. Logan passed the ball in to me, and I immediately felt like this was natural. I took the ball down the court and Brandon was all over me. He held me at three point range, and tried swatting the ball out of my hands, but I spun around and shot a fade away jumper for three. The ball hit nothing but net as we took the lead. "Nice Alex!" Logan said. The game went back and forth, each team scoring shot after shot, neither of us getting a lead of more than one point. Brandon and Christian had hops for sure, as everyone of their points came from inside the paint with them dunking on us. Most of our points came from assists with Sierra passing the ball to both Logan and I, where we could hit every shot we took with total accuracy. The game went on for thirty minutes, and the three of us were all so busy guarding the paint that we had totally forgotten about the little one. Brandon had the ball while Logan and I double teamed him. He performed a step-back and tossed the ball in the air. I thought he just shot up a total air ball, but that's when I saw Baby Katie flying through the air and caught the ball. From there, she slammed it down on us, winning the game. I was totally stunned before I realized that when Logan and I were covering Brandon, Christian got close, picked up Katie, who was right next to him, and threw her up in the air for her to make the game winning shot.

"See, what did I tell you boys?" Katie said with a huge grin on her face. I couldn't help but just fall over laughing that we got totally played by the spawn of victory. "I guess it's true nobody can ever beat you." I said between breaths. "Next time you're on my team!" "Deal!" she said enthusiastically. A bell rang off in the distance, and the kids' mouths started watering. "Dinner time!" Sierra said, and Brandon scooped up Katie on his shoulders and we all ran to the courtyard where the tables were.


	3. Chapter 3: Meeting My Parent

**Chapter Three**

The meals were amazing. The camp had magic cups that filled up with whatever drink you wanted. I had cherry coke. The food was anything you could think of, ranging from salad, to turkey, to steak, to cheeseburgers. I sat at the same table as Chiron, Logan, Brandon, Christian, and Sierra. I asked why Katie wasn't sitting with us, and Sierra said that only cabin leaders could sit here. Katie was still too young and hasn't been on any quests yet, so she wasn't eligible to become cabin leader. She had three other siblings sitting with her, and they all acted so mesmerized at her recounting of the basketball game.

"It's hard to believe anyone would ever pick on a girl as sweet as Katie." I said. "Well, she's a little weird, in a good way, I mean." Brandon said. "The other kids, especially Hermes kids, just liked to prank her and things of that nature because she's so gullible and sweet." Christian said. "It's not like they were beating her up or anything, but it was still enough to make her upset." "One day she ran out past my cabin to the lake, and she was crying because they put a bucket of black paint over her cabin door and when she opened it, it spilled all over her white dress her father had got her before he passed away." Christian said. "I walked over to her and comforted her, telling her it's going to be alright. She was still very upset, but I got her calmed down enough. They were picking on her mainly because a few of the campers thought her mom was a lesser god than their parent. She was only about 6 at the time." "That's when Christian came and got me," Brandon said. "He introduced Katie to me, Logan, and Sierra one day while we were hanging out playing basketball. He told us what happened, and we swore we wouldn't ever let anything happen to her again. Now, she's kind of like the happy little sister of our group. She follows us wherever we go, and she's so sweet that we're happy when she tags along. Anyways, Christian told me what happened. Katie stayed with Sierra and Logan while they accepted her and was teaching her how to play basketball, and Christian and I went to the Hermes cabin." Brandon continued. "I remember that day well. Christian and I went over and asked who exactly it was that was messing with our little friend. They sold out the six guys quickly. I remember me and Christian taking turns pummeling them into the ground. I told Katie what we did when we returned to the court, and she got a little bit upset again." "I asked her what was wrong," Christian said, "and she said that they didn't totally deserve the 'butt whooping' they got. I swear to you Alex, this girl has the biggest heart of gold I have ever met. If that was any of us, we would've been ecstatic to known that they got what they deserved, but not Katie. I think it's safe to say she actually makes us better people, since we try to set a good example for her."

I listened to this story and felt like I had found a family. I could honestly say that, if I had been with these guys when all of this with Katie went down, I would've been right there with them, knocking whoever messed with her senseless. "Katie is already calling you her new big brother." Sierra said with a smile. "Awe, that's sweet." I said. "We are all family technically," said Logan, "but us five, well, now six, with the addition of you, are actually family. Some demigods hate others because we have different parents, but not us." "I can see that, this is unreal. I don't remember anything about myself, but I hope that I had friends as good as you guys in my old life."

Chiron sat there smiling the whole time while listening to the stories we told. "Ah Katie, such a sweet girl. You know, I still don't think she actually knows my name, even after spending however many years she's been here with us. She still calls me 'horseman' too." He said with a laugh.

Dinner ended and campers all started heading back to their cabins. Sierra, Christian, Logan, and I stayed with Chiron, and we waited on Brandon to go grab Katie. We had to wait a while, because even though it was only a trip to Manhattan, (Which, by the way, I found out where Olympus was.) She had to bring the new toy with her to show her mom Nike. Apparently Nike is one of the gods that is more invested in her children's lives, since she isn't weighed down by all the troubles Zeus and the other major Olympians are. When they finally made it, the seven of us walked towards the gate, where a man in a car was waiting for us. He had eyes all over his body, and Logan told me his name was Argus. He worked Camp security, and supposedly he had an eye even under his tongue. He drove us to Manhattan while we all sat in the back and talked. Katie sat in between the two big guys, and Sierra sat between Logan and me. We drove to the Empire State Building, where Olympus was located. Chiron took us to an elevator, and pressed a button that took us all the way to the 600th floor. I asked what happens if a normal person presses the button, and he said that they couldn't, due to something called the "mist". The elevator doors opened up and I saw the most beautiful city ever, with gold lined streets and buildings, and temples everywhere.

"My sister Annabeth helped build this place after it was nearly destroyed in the second Titan War." Sierra said. Every day's a school day, I suppose. We walked toward the biggest temple in the city, where the gods were. I heard a voice roar out from inside "Something must be done! We cannot just sit here letting this bastard get away with what he did to my sister!" I felt a little scared, but Katie took my hand. "Come on, I'll let you meet my mom!" She said. With that, we all entered to find giant people sitting in huge chairs arguing over something, with some smaller gods and goddesses sitting around the room. As soon as we entered, the room came to a hush. I could tell these things were gods, because when they looked at me, I thought I was going to be wiped off the map. One woman stood up from her chair and stared at me painfully. She had silver eyes like mine, and similar hair as well. "You…" she let whatever she was going to say trail off. The room was dead silent for a while 30 seconds, until a little voice shouted echoed all across the room. "Hi mommy!" Katie yelled to one of the smaller goddesses. The goddess stood up, and began to shrink to the size of a normal woman with wings sticking out of her back. She walked over to the little girl, while nervously glancing at the giant man in the middle with a long white beard, and bent to hug Katie. "Hello my child." She said with a smile. "I got the new toy I want to show you, it's so cool…" Nike cut her daughter off for a moment and said "Come on dear; let's see it outside while the other's talk so we are not rude." "Okay! Bye Zeus!" Katie waved at the bearded man and left with her mom. The rest of us stood quietly for a moment, not sure what to do. The other's probably wanted to say hi to their parent's as well, but they probably knew better than to test Zeus' tolerance for outbursts like Katie's.

"So, the bastard son comes home." Apollo said, looking at me with disdain. The woman that stood up earlier looked down in pain. "W-what are you talking about?" I asked. Chiron cut me off. "So it's true then… This is her son?" The woman stood up again, not making eye contact with me, like she was ashamed to be in the same room as I was. "Yes. He is my son." The Olympians, as well as my group of friends, all gasped and looked at me slack jawed. "How is that possible?" asked one of the gods. "Even if you did have a child, which is preposterous, it couldn't be a male!" "Sit down Hermes." Zeus said. "But she's the goddess of virginity! How could you break what you are most known for?" he said. The room was dead silent once again, all looking at me like they wanted an answer. Logan, Brandon, Sierra, and Christian all moved in closer around me, like they were about to take a bullet for me. That's when I found out why this lady, Artemis, goddess of the moon, hunt, and virginity, and who was supposedly my mother, couldn't look at me. That's when my life changed forever.

"I was…I was raped and gave birth to a male child." She sat down as she spoke. A light began to emit around my body, and I looked above my head to see a silver bow floating above me. The entire room gasped in shock. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" Zeus roared in fury at Artemis. "Who dare defiled a goddess? Answer me, so I can strike them down with the force of lightning!" Artemis couldn't meet anyone's eyes. "I thought…I thought Orion had come back from the dead. I was tricked into thinking it was him. People have come back before, so I was confused. But it was a lie and a disguise. By the time I found out he wasn't the man I once loved, but an imposter, he held me down and…" her voice trailed off. "Who would do this?" Zeus sat down and looked at the ground. "We should kill whoever it was, no question about it. As for the boy, we should send him to Hades where he belongs!" Apollo roared. "Dad, stop it! It isn't Alex's fault!" Logan pleaded. "IT DOES NOT MATTER WHO'S FAULT IT IS!" Apollo screamed. Apollo grabbed his bow off his back and drew an arrow, pointing it right at my chest. I stood there helpless as I way about to be blasted away. Then, Apollo fired. Artemis drew her bow and shot an arrow, knocking Apollo's off course. How she was able to do it that fast, I'll never know. Perks of being a goddess, I guess. "I WILL HANDLE THIS PERSONALLY APOLLO!" She roared at her brother. "What happens to him will be nobody's judgment but MY OWN, is that clear?" "Fine. You deal with the bastard son." Apollo started glowing, and Logan pulled me around to where I couldn't see what was happening. With that, Apollo blasted off into the sky. "If you look at a god while they show their true form," Logan said, "it's like getting hit with a nuke." "Thanks for that." I told him.

Zeus stood up. "Everybody leave. Give these two a moment." With that, all the gods and my friends walked out of the room, leaving only myself and the silent goddess. She shrank down to normal size after a few minutes of silence and looked at me. I walked slowly over to her. "Are…are you…my mom?" I finally got out. She looked up at me, making eye contact only for the second time that night. "Yes." "But I thought you couldn't have kids. You're the virgin goddess, how is that even possible?" I asked. "A man, your father…tricked me. I'm no longer able to be the virgin goddess. Most likely that title will fall to Hestia, goddess of the hearth. But most people only know me as the virgin goddess of the moon and hunt. Most forget that I am also the goddess of childbirth." "How am I even alive right now? How am I even a boy?" Artemis and I sat down on the ground together. "It's true, I prefer the company of women over men. But that does not mean I couldn't become pregnant with a male child. A woman cannot control what sex her baby will be, not even a goddess." "Apollo called me a bastard son…What does that mean?" Artemis looked apologetically at me. "It means you're a child I didn't want." She looked at the ground in shame. I couldn't blame her for not wanting me, after all, the way she became pregnant was awful. But telling your child you don't want them, even with all the shit she went through was wrong, goddess or not.

Like she was reading my mind, she spoke up. "I don't hate you, and I do want you. I just, I didn't know how to deal with it at the time. This is something that has not ever happened before. I don't know how to be a mother to a child, especially not a male. I only know what men want and desire, which is the opposite of what I stood for, sex." "Whoa, whoa, whoa, I don't want to have that conversation." I said embarrassingly. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do with you." Artemis said sadly. "Who was it?" I asked. "Who was what?" "Who…you know, knocked you up?" I asked. Artemis slapped me upside the head with a force I thought would break my neck. "That is no way to talk to your mother." "Ow, what the hell Artemis, I was only asking." I complained. She looked down again. "I know, I'm sorry. I do not know who it was that tricked me, but I have been trying to find out who it was for the past 18 years." "So, I'm 18 then?" I said. "Yes, you were born September 21, the last day of summer, 1995." We sat quietly for a long time.

"I'm sorry I was born." I said sadly. Artemis looked at me like she was about to cry. For a woman who was said to hate men, she sure looked like a real mom just then to me, and she hugged me. "I'm certainly not. It isn't your fault that you were born, nor am I upset about it now that I've met my first child. Don't let Apollo get to you. I'm his sister, and he was just angry, more at himself than anything for letting this happen. But it isn't anyone's fault but the man who raped me." I hugged back. I know I didn't remember anything from my past, but to be honest, I didn't want to anymore. Artemis is my mom. Logan, Brandon, and Christian, despite just meeting them, feel like my brothers. Katie feels like a little sister, and Sierra is a great friend. I felt like I had found a home. "I'm sorry you went through that." I said. "At least one good thing came of it." She said.

We ended our hug. "I have to leave. I have to return to my duties as the goddess of the moon and bring it across the sky." "I understand. Will I ever see you again?" I asked. "Of course you will. I'm here whenever you need me. I think that's something a good mom would say. And I'm always with you at the end of the day." She said, looking up at the moon. "Well, I guess I better get back to camp then, and let you do what you do." We looked at each other for a while, and she hugged me again. "I will see you soon, son." With that, she faded away into the sky. "I'll see you soon…mom." I turned and walked out of the temple to meet my friends.


	4. Chapter 4: Nightmares Begin

**Chapter Four**

When I walked outside the temple doors, Chiron and the rest of my friends were waiting anxiously, with the exception of Katie who was showing her mom her new toy and telling her tales about how she helped Katie beat us in basketball. I watched the two for a moment and wondered if I could ever have such a good and friendly relationship with my mother. I was feeling such a wide range of emotions and in such deep thought that I hadn't even realized Brandon was talking to me.

"Earth to Alex, you there bro?" he said. "Sorry, I was just thinking about some stuff. What did you say?" "I asked what happened in there." "We talked for a bit, about different things." I said broadly. "Well what sort of things?" he asked me. "Honestly, right now I just feel like I should lie down for a while. It's been a long fucking day." I told him. "Curse." Katie said, staring at me wide-eyed and pointing her finger. "Sorry Katie, it's been a long freaking day." I corrected myself. It's going to be difficult to not swear around Katie, since I feel so used to it. I'm sure the words I would use to describe what's running through my head right now could make a sailor blush.

"Well, we are just about to head back. We are waiting on Sierra to return to us, she's off trying to find her sister Annabeth right now." Chiron told me. Logan came over and led me around a corner to talk in private. "I'm sorry, about my dad. He's not normally like this, I don't know-" I cut him off. "I understand. If my sister was…you know. I would be pretty upset about it as well." I told him. "I just don't want you to think I feel the same way, I guess. As much as I love my dad, I'm not him." "I won't judge you based on another's actions," I reassured him "even if they were the actions of a god." We went back around the corner to join the rest of the group.

Nike, Katie's mother, walked over to me. "So, this must all be quite a shock to you." I was kind of nervous about talking to a goddess. I know I just had a full conversation with one not ten minutes ago, but there were things that needed to be said. But randomly talking to a god is like finding a teacher in the grocery store and they start a conversation with you. It's like realizing that they exist outside of story books and myth. "It is a shock. I just learned that my mother is literally the moon. I learned that everything about Greek gods being mere legend is false. I learned that you're more than a shoe company. It's been a very exasperating day." I told her. "Well, I'm sure it will all work out for you in the end. Or, you could die a very painful and horrible death and tragically lead others into the same fate as yourself." Nike said with a helpful smile. I just stared at her with a "what the hell?" expression plastered on my face.

Sierra came back a few minutes later, and she told the group she's sorry for taking so long. Apparently Annabeth is on a trip to Camp Jupiter, whatever that is, and she won't be back for some time. We rode the elevator back down to New York and Argus drove us back to camp. Katie tried talking to everyone in the car, but we all had a lot on our minds, me especially. When we reached the camp, my friends said their goodnights and went their separate ways to their cabins. "Chiron, where am I supposed to sleep?" I asked him. "Come on Alex, I'll show you to your cabin."

We walked to a small cabin that had a glowing silver outline, with and two arrows crossing each other over a carving of the moon above the door. "This place is mine?" I asked Chiron. "Yes and no. It belongs to the children of Artemis, as each god or goddess has their own cabin here in which their children can live in. But, you're the only child of hers. You're not the only one to stay here however; there are the hunters of Artemis that come by occasionally, and when they do, they stay here." He explained. "Who are the hunters of Artemis?" I asked him. "They're a band of female warriors that follow Artemis into battle and scour the globe looking for monsters to kill. They are usually, eh, nice in a way. Well, nice in the sense they won't kill you without reason, that is." He said with a laugh. "Why do they stay here then? If there demigods, shouldn't they be in their own parents cabins?" I questioned him. "Artemis has given the hunters special permission to accommodate her cabin when they are at camp. Now, no more of the third degree, it's off to bed with you son. You have a busy day ahead of you tomorrow, and I'm sure you have a few things to think about. Goodnight Alex Hunter." After he said goodnight, he trotted off.

I walked into the cabin slowly, and noticed I was alone. I suppose it makes sense, since I have no siblings. The walls where gray, as were the covers on the bunks as well. The beds were in an "O" formation, circling around a table with some chairs. On the walls were the heads of several creatures, and as it was the first time seeing them, they scared the hell out of me. I walked to the middle bed where moonlight shined on the pillow through the window. "Home sweet home." I said to myself. I didn't have any belongings, so I had nothing to put away. I took off my jacket and my boots and jeans. I pulled the covers down in the bed and tried to get to sleep. If I had known what I was going to dream, I promise I would've stayed awake.

I opened my eyes and I was lying in a dark forest. The ground was wet and cold and I looked around to try and gather my senses. I heard the flow of water splashing up against rocks next to me, and I got up. I walked forward and kicked something metal. I bent down and felt a razor sharp blade glide under my palm. I felt around on the ground a little bit more and found a hilt. I picked it up and held it close to my eyes, trying to see what it was. It took a few minutes and a bit of adjusting, but I could see I was holding a sword in my hands. "What the hell?" I asked myself. From somewhere behind me, I heard the crunch of a branch being stepped on. My heart was racing so fast I thought it was about to punch through my ribs. I slowly turned around and saw a woman with green eyes lumbering towards me. When I say green though, I don't mean the same green as that pretty girl that sits next to you in math class. I mean green in a glowing, eerie way. She had a bent back, and was surrounded by a thin green mist. This lady looked like she was possessed. She stared at me for a moment, and smiled. Her teeth were missing or blackened, and she said "Run far, run fast, or you shall not last." Her voice had a sort of echo quality that made her seem even spookier.

The river began splashing violently, and I turned to see a figure emerge from its waters. The old lady behind me spoke up again. "Rise, Alpheus, destroy the son of the wretched wench that hid away your lover Arethousa!" The creature raised his giant fist and slammed it down on top of me, but cried out in horror and pain when half of his fist was cut off from the blade in my hands. I looked down at the sword, but only for a second, because every fiber of my being told me to haul ass out of there. So that's what I did. I ran. I ran far, and I ran fast. I ran so far and fast that I smacked right into a tree and woke up the next morning.


	5. Chapter 5: Enter: Thalia Grace

**Chapter Five**

I woke up in a sweat to an arrow pointed right in my eye. "I suggest you be very clear in explaining as to why you're in our house." A girl with black hair and stormy eyes looked at me with disdain in her expression and contempt in her voice. "Chiron said I could sleep here. He said campers sleep in their parent's houses, and so I did." I explained with urgency, so as not to be shot in the face. "Then why the HELL are you in milady's cabin?" she asked, this time raising her voice. "I told you: Chiron said to sleep in our godly parent's cabin, so I did. Artemis is my mother!" I yelled. A morning person I was not. "You're parent?" she yelled back. "Are you stupid, or just crazy?" I got up and put on my clothes rapidly, as I wanted to get out of dodge as soon as possible. "Listen girl, I don't know who you think you are but I-" That's all I was able to get out of me before she grabbed me by my jacket collar and chucked me through the cabin door. I was surrounded by about twelve other girls, looking at me with the same disdain as before. The girl came strutting out of the cabin. I stood up and curled my fist. I've never hit a girl before, but I'll be damned if I let her touch me like that again. Just then I heard a familiar voice.

"Stop it, all of you!" Chiron the centaur came trotting down with his hands in the air, followed by many campers running to see what the commotion was about. "Chiron, what the hell is going on here? Why was this boy allowed in milady's cabin? I demand an answer, now!" the girl with the stormy eyes said. "You mean, Artemis has not yet spoken to you?" Chiron asked her. "Spoken to me about what?" she said curiously. "It is a very long and complicated story, one that not even I know the details behind. But what is important is that this boy you just chucked out of Artemis' cabin is her son." The entire camp gasped, and I looked around for my friends. I saw them dotted through the crowd. "Blasphemy!" she said. "Thalia, please, calm down a moment. You said yourself you have not yet spoken with Artemis recently. Send an iris-message to her, and come and meet me at the big house. In the meantime, Alex, go get a new set of clothes from the camp storage rooms and eat breakfast. I suspect the hunters and I will have many things to discuss."

Christian came over after everybody dispersed. "Come on, I'll take you to storage." We walked a while without saying anything. "Who the hell were those girls?" I finally asked. "The hunters of Artemis. They serve Artemis and her alone. The hunters are made up of only girls, and since most of them hate boys, they weren't all too pleased to find one sleeping in their cabin I guess." "Who's the one that manhandled me?" "That's Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, lord of the sky. She was a friend of Percy Jackson's before he went to do work at Camp Jupiter with Leo Valdez and Jason Grace, Thalia's half-brother on her father's roman side." "What do you mean when you say roman side?" I asked him. "Trust me, it's so confusing, it isn't even worth explaining. Let's put it this way: a few years back, when I was twelve, the roman demigods attacked Camp Half-Blood thanks to Gaea, the goddess of earth. But thanks to Percy, and the six others from this huge prophecy, the world was saved. Yay." He said unenthusiastically. "You don't sound very happy about it." I said. "Yeah, well, I was really looking forward to smashing in some punk kids from this supposed great roman legion. I'd like to show them why it's in their best interests not to mess with the east coast."

We reached the storage unit after walking about a half mile. "Clothes are in there, I'll wait out here so we can eat afterwards." I walked in and saw a few columns of clothes and other equipment lying around. I slipped into a plain black t shirt like the one I had before, but this one had the words "Camp Half-Blood" printed on the chest with white letters. I slipped my jacket back on, threw on some jeans, and went back outside. "Did you find one that fit?" Christian asked. "Yeah, it took a few minutes, but I found one. Let's eat, I'm starving." We walked a few minutes and I spoke up. "I had this dream last night. Well, it was really more of a nightmare." I said to him. "Yeah, that happens to most of us. What was the nightmare about?" he asked me. "I was in these woods, and it was pitch black. Then, this lady with this green mist came out and started talking in some sort of creepy voice. She told me to run, but before I did, she called out to some guy named Alpheus. She told him to kill me. This thing tried to crush me from this river it rose out of, but its hand was sliced off by this sword I had in my hand. After that, I ran until I smacked into a tree. After that, I woke up to find this girl Thalia Grace pointing an arrow at my face." "That is weird, but no worse than any of the other kids here. Most of us get these dreams where it feels like we're about to die. Usually it's nothing but sometimes, it means we're about to get a quest. Who knows, maybe you're going on an adventure?" Christian said. "Oh boy, that sounds fantastic." I said sarcastically.

We ate breakfast, which was a lot of biscuits and gravy, and Chiron came trotting over with a package in his arms. "Alex, I'm glad I caught you before you went to the armory." Chiron said. "What is it?" I asked him. "Well, it seems your mother has sent you a gift. A lot of gods send gifts to their children if they have done something well. Go on, open it." He tossed me the box and I caught it, heaving at its heaviness when it hit my chest. I opened it up to find a note that said "Alex, this is for you.-Artemis". I moved my hand through the box and pulled out a metallic red lighter. "Does she want me to start smoking?" I asked. "Hm," Chiron said, "open it up, see what it is." I looked down for a moment and flicked open the lighter. Before me it started to change. The lighter grew into a three foot long metallic blood red sword with the words _Apollyon Ambrotoshaima_ etched onto the blade. "What does that mean?" I asked Chiron. "_Apollyon Ambrotoshaima_. It's ancient Greek words, meaning "Destroyer of Immortal Blood". It isn't uncommon for a parent to send their child a weapon, but I would've guessed Artemis would've sent a bow and arrow, if anything." "Why did she send it though?" I asked him. "I'm not sure. But, at least you have a weapon for sword training now. Plus, you'll have a weapon for capture the flag tonight as well." "Oh hell yes, you're on our team Alex." Christian said. "Actually Christian, Alex will be with the hunters tonight." Chiron told him. "What? Why would he be on their team? It's always campers against hunters when those broads roll into town." "Not tonight. Thalia said she wants to see how well this supposed son of Artemis is in a fight. Her words, Alex, not mine. I assure you." "But, I can't be with my friends?" I asked him. "Oh no. This will be a match up for the ages it seems. Now, get to training with Christian, you're going to need it."

Christian and I were at the training ground, practicing slices, cuts, stabs, and deflects. Christian was a great sword fighter, but he told me I was a born natural. We talked while we trained. "Well, this sucks." He said. "What does? This whole capture the flag thing? Don't worry about it too much; I probably wouldn't have been much help anyways." I reassured him. "No way man, you would've been great at running up the gut right at these arrogant hunters. Plus, I would've paid to see you whoop up on Thalia." I laughed. "You really think I could take her one on one?" I asked him. "Tonight? Oh, hells yeah dude. I don't know who Artemis would favor, her lead hunter, or her first kid. But I bet that since you would be in the moonlight, you would gain some sort of advantage." He told me. "Does it work like that?" I asked. "You bet. Whenever Logan is in sunlight, it's like his power strengthens tenfold. It was the same for Percy Jackson. When he was on the ground, he was a great fighter. But when he entered water, especially the ocean, being the son of Poseidon and all, he was damn near unbeatable. You know, legend around the camp is that he even beat my dad once, but I wouldn't say it to his face of course." We laughed at that. We parried back and forth some more, and for some reason I felt like I could knock Christian's sword out of his hand. I blocked his swing with my sword, swung around and raised it high above my head and swung down hard just where the hilt ended and the blade began. The weapon went flying out of Christian's hand and he held his wrist looking worried. "Oh man, I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" I asked him. His worried look turned into a grin. "Don't think so highly of yourself man, you couldn't hurt me if you tried. Nice technique though." We practiced sword fighting for about an hour longer, and I could feel my muscles tightening up intensely. "Alright, that's enough for today. Let's go find the other guys." I started walking with him, flicking my sword back into a lighter and stuffing it in my pocket when I noticed Sierra sitting by herself near the water looking onto the waves as they rolled. "Hey, listen man; I'll catch up with you and the other guys later before dinner. I'm gonna go see what she's up to right now." Christian looked over at Sierra and grinned. "Oh well don't let me hold you any longer Casanova." I punched his arm, and walked over to her.

"Hey, mind if I sit down for a while?" I asked her. She looked over and smiled, gesturing for me to have a seat. "What are you looking at?" I asked her. "Just the water. It feels like home when I come over here." She told me. "I thought Camp Half-Blood was home?" She smiled again. "It is home, but I wasn't born here. I lived in Delaware with my dad before I moved here." "Oh yeah? What does he think about you being a child of a goddess?" I asked. "He hasn't got a clue. Do you know how children of Athena are born?" "No, how?" "It's sort of like a thought. One day Athena, mom, thinks of the kid and POOF, there we are the next day on our dad's doorsteps. Well, that's the short version anyways." "So what do you tell your dad to get him to let you come here?" "I just tell him I'm living with my aunt in the city. Of course, he doesn't know that there isn't an aunt. But I don't care. Can we, can we talk about something else?" she asked. "Yeah, sure, whatever you want." I told her.

We sat there silently for a few minutes when she said "So you know capture the flag is tonight, yeah?" "Yeah, Chiron told me and Christian before we did our sword training." I replied. "Well, if you want, you can be on our team." "I'd love to, I really would. Unfortunately this Thalia Grace and her hunters said I'm on their team already. Trust me, it isn't something I look forward too." "Well, at least you'll be on the winning side." She said. "What makes you so sure we are going to win?" "The hunters always beat the campers. It gets old really fast." "Then I guess that makes us enemies then?" I said with a smile. "Well, I guess it does, so get off my blanket, moon boy." She kicked me off playfully. "Moon boy? That the best you can come up with Brainiac?" "My sister Annabeth always called her boyfriend Percy Seaweed Brain, so I thought I'd try it out." She laughed. I sat back down for a while longer. She stared at me for a long time before I asked her what she was looking at. "Nothing." She said while blushing. I was going to comment on it, I really was, but the damn bell rang us for lunch. "Come on, let's go get some grub." She hauled me up off the ground and we walked closely to the dining hall.


	6. Chapter 6: Standoff and a Date

**Chapter Six**

We ate lunch with the rest of the cabin leaders, while Katie and her siblings continuously waved to us. Thalia came over and told me that I better not slow down her group, to which I replied "Whatever." Brandon accidently burnt a satyr that snuck up behind him, and it smelled like roasted goat. When lunch was over, Logan, Brandon, Christian and I all went out and threw a football around. Katie followed Sierra and her other girl friends when they were talking about going to get some sort of make over from the Aphrodite kids.

"She's kind of the same, and she's kind of different." Logan said in response to how alike Sierra is to her sister. "She definitely has her brains." Brandon said. "And her fear of spiders." Christian said with a laugh, slinging the ball high to Logan. "But she's more of a girly girl. I mean, she can get down and dirty when the time comes, but she's one of those girls that likes getting makeup and that sort of thing put on." Logan told me. "That's not a bad thing, is it?" I asked. "Not really. Some of the Aphrodite kids, all they do is sit around and talk about who's hot and who's not." Christian said. "Of course, I'm at the top of that list." Brandon said with a wink. "Probably the Not list." I told him. He tackled me to the ground and we started wrestling around, throwing punches in a brotherly way. "I got you're back man!" Christian yelled out with a grin as he jumped on Brandon's back and put him in a headlock. "Keep the peace brothers! Stop the fighting!" Logan screamed as he ran into me, systematically knocking all three of us over, with me taking him down with us. We sat there dying of uncontrollable laughter for about ten minutes. Every time we stopped, we looked at one another and just started bursting out again. It wasn't until we realized the Demeter kids were staring at us like we were crazy that we were able to stop.

The rest of the day went as a normal one would. I learned about history, shot arrows (Which I am very good at, by the way.), and ran around being goofballs with my friends until dinner. When Katie joined up with us, she told us that Sierra had to go do "Big girl stuff." So she ran around with us, sitting on our shoulders when we helped her do the monkey bars. We ate dinner at eight, although Sierra sat with her cabin so I couldn't actually see her, and afterwards Chiron told us all to go to the amphitheater so we can discuss capture the flag.

The hunters sat on one side of the theatre while the rest of the kids sat on the other side. I followed my boys to the seats and sat down. Sierra came in with a bunch of her girlfriends after a few minutes. "Damn dude, those chicks are so hot!" the three of my friends said. She was walking with about six different girls, and yes, they were very, very hot. But Sierra wasn't. She looked more beautiful than anything I've ever seen. She was in a white top with dark jeans and boots. She had her hair down to her shoulders, and what looked like pink lip gloss on. She also had on two stripes of black paint under her eyes, which made her look like a hot Rambo/linebacker combo. She smiled at me, and her and her friends all sat in front of us.

"Where's Katie at?" I asked Brandon. "She's too little to play this game, trust me. It gets violent." "Nice fighting attire Sam." Logan said. A girl looked behind her and just shook her head. "Sam is the head honcho over at Aphrodite's cabin." Christian explained. "I thought you beauty queens always sat these events out Sam?" Brandon said. "We do, but tonight, I want to break that hunter's nose. You know, the tall, blonde haired girl. She said I was "tart", whatever the hell that means." She said in a cute southern accent. Sam was wearing tight yoga pants and a purple shirt with a dagger strapped to her side. She had long black hair and bright green eyes. I'm not going to lie, she was damn good looking. She also looked like she could be a colossal bitch. But still, she was DAMN good looking. "Who are you?" she asked me. "This is Alex, the new camper I was telling you about. He's the son of Artemis." Sierra said to her. "Whoa, Sierra, you talking about my boy over here?" Brandon said putting his arm around me. "Stuff it, meat head, before I break you." She said with a smile while flipping him off and laughing. Sam smiled mischievously at me. "Well, I hope we get to see each other on the field tonight." She said with a wink. "Hopefully." I said with a smile.

Chiron called us to attention, explained the rules, and broke us up into our teams. Blue team was the campers; Red team was the hunters and I. I'm not going to lie, I didn't like the thought of taking on around a hundred kids at once, but every one of the hunters looked like they knew they outnumbered the kids ten to one. "Just stay here at base and guard the flag." Thalia said. "No way, I'm not some guard dog kid. I look like I'm older than you, so show some respect." "Looks can be deceiving." She told me. She had two of her hunters stand guard at the flag, while I and she ran up the gut together. The rest of the hunters would flank around the sides and cause distractions. Whenever Chiron stood at the edge of the forest, so we could all hear him, he yelled "Begin!" and turned a radio on playing the song "Lookin' for Trouble" by Divide the Day.

We took off down the middle, with her in the trees and me on the ground. We reached halfway at the river and met up with the other team. Christian was leading the charge on the ground and Logan was in the tree behind him, arrow nocked inside his five foot long golden bow. "This isn't sword class anymore Alex, I'm not going to take it easy on you." I know I shouldn't have been cocky, but I still replied with "I'd be insulted if you did." He sneered and charged, with an axe raised high above his head. I deflected blow after blow, just as he did to me. Logan and Thalia were firing arrows one after another at each other. We were in a total stale mate. Logan was about ready to fire another one when Thalia raised her arms and brought them down hard, sending a bolt of lightning down right next to where Logan was. He was lying on the ground screaming in pain as part of his face got burned. Thalia was about to race off when I threw my sword at her leg and dug it into her calf, causing her to fall ten feet onto her chest. "What the hell are you doing you piece of shit?" she screamed. "What am I doing? What the hell are you doing? You could've fucking killed him you cocky bitch!" I roared back. "Bitch?" she yelled. She drew out a sword and shield with a face on it. I guess it was supposed to scare me, but all it did was piss me off even more. We stood face to face in the clearing. "Christian, take care of Logan, then go get the flag, there are two hunters guarding it." "Okay." He said. He picked Logan up on his shoulders and ran off into the dark.

The moonlight was shining brightly on both of us, but I felt my heart beating faster. I felt bigger and more powerful. "What the hell kid? We could lose if we don't stop them! Whose god damn side are you on anyways?" she bellowed. "It's my friends over you." I said. She tried to raise her shield, but I started swinging back and forth so fast that the strikes were getting through her defense. She tried to strike back, but I pulled the same disarm move I did on Christian. Her sword flew twenty feet away. She raised her arms with a hateful look on her face and slammed down. I jumped out of the way just in time before I was struck by lightning. I ran up in a total fury, jumped, and stabbed my sword right through her bronze shield, and tore it off her arm before she could react. She fell back into a tree, looking more confused than scared. I held my sword right at her throat.

"Stop it both of you!" said Chiron. I lowered my sword and realized we had an audience. "She tried to kill Logan!" I yelled, still fuming at the incident. "I tried to win the game!" she retorted. "You're such an egotistical, competitive cunt!" I screamed at her. "WELL YOU'RE NOTHING MORE THAN A FUCKING MISTAKE ARTEMIS DIDN'T WANT!" she screamed back even louder. Thunder rumbled throughout the clouds. I don't know what my facial expression was at the time, but it must have been pretty bad, because she immediately changed her face from furious to remorseful. "Alex, I didn't mean-" she started to say. "Piss off." I said in a monotone. Sam, Brandon, Sierra, Christian, Chiron, and Katie, who rode on Chiron's back, looked shocked. I chucked my sword into a tree, using so much force it went directly through its trunk and walked off alone to my cabin. "Alex, wait!" Sierra said. "Leave me alone." I told her without looking back.

I lied in my bed under the covers, playing with my lighter. It appeared back in my pocket, I guess by the work of some sort of magic, a short while after I threw it. I was lying there, thinking about what Thalia said, when I heard a knock at my door. "Alex, can I come in?" a girl's voice behind the door asked. At first I thought it was Sierra, but I noticed it wasn't her voice. This voice had a slight southern drawl to it. "Yeah, come on in." I said solemnly. The door opened and I saw a dark haired girl enter. "Sam, is that you?" she stepped forward into the moonlight and I saw her big green eyes stare at me. "Yeah, it is. You looked pretty upset when you left the game. I wanted to come and see if you were okay." She said to me. "Yeah, I'm fine." She came closer and sat on the side of my bed. "It didn't seem like it. When you threw your sword it nearly took my head off." She showed me a small gash on the right side of her cheek. "Jesus Sam, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. Are you alright?" I asked her. She just smiled back at me with her big beautiful green eyes. "It's alright Alex. I like it, it makes me look tough." She said with her hands on her hips. "Yeah, I guess if I saw you in an alley I wouldn't want to mess with you." I said with a laugh. "Oh, you wouldn't want to mess with me? Not even a little?" she winked at me. "Alright, maybe just a little bit, but for other reasons." I winked back at her. We laughed for a moment, and she lied down on top of the covers on my lap. "So, listen, I thought of something that might boost your spirits a little bit." She said staring at me. "What's that?" I asked. "There's this big thing we do every year for the fourth of July. The Hephaestus kids make a whole bunch of fireworks, and there's dancing and singing, and all that fun stuff. I was wondering if you had a date?" she asked. I'll admit, I was totally surprised. If anyone was going to ask me, I would've guessed it was going to be Sierra, but then again, I don't even know if she has a boyfriend. I sat there looking at Sam on my lap. "Do you want to go to the fireworks with me Sam?" she smiled at the question. "I'd love to. I better get back to my cabin before I get torn into by Chiron. But I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" she got up and walked out, looking back at me, and then continued out the door, swaying her ass back and forth. I've said it once, and I'll say it again. Sam is fucking hot.


End file.
